Rainbow Dragon Pride
by Peach Wookiee
Summary: Co-written with 15animefreak15 and The Rainwalker. While Chazz attends North Academy, he and Jesse Anderson are confronted with the ugly reality of hatred against homosexuals. Rated T. In the "Summer Love, Summer Fears" universe.
1. Chapter 1

_**Rainbow Dragon Pride**_

_Hello again, GX fans! I suppose you're all wondering why there hasn't been an update of __**Darkness Falls**__ the past few months. Well, the long and short of it is that life and my emotional state got in the way. So to all of you who still read and love the series, it will be finished to its logical conclusion and its sequel, __**Dawn Breaks**__, will follow. So yes, you will see our heroes finally get married. And if you read and hate the series, stop reading! **Peach**__** laughs a little **If I hate a series, I stop reading or watching. So those of you who read and love, I look forward to seeing you again. _

_Now why would I bring up **Darkness Falls**, you ask? You see, dear readers, this latest story is part of this version of the Yugi-verse. How many of you wonder about what Chazz did while away at North Academy? I know I did. And my co-author, 15animefreak15 wondered as well. On April 6, 2010, we came up with a story that answered that question and also dealt with the issue of bullying and intolerance of homosexuals. It also dealt with what happens when you're merely accused of being different. We hope you enjoy this tale._

_**Usual boring disclaimer**__: Last I checked, I wasn't anyone who owned the actual Yugi-verse. I am not part of Toei Animation, TV Tokyo__, NAS, Studio Gallop, 4Kids Entertainment or Konami. So no, I don't own it. But I do own this story as well as my other tales and if you use it in any way without my permission, that is not okay. _

_**Acknowledgments**__: I thank everyone who collaborated on this story and all of you who continue to favorite and encourage me to keep writing._

_**Author's notes**__: This story takes place not long after the events of "How We Met" in the Peach__ Wookiee/15animefreak15/Lobo Argost version of the Yugi-verse and significantly before Chazz returned to Duel Academy. Is this canon? If it were, it'd be on TV or in the manga. Further, we also added in the possibility that North Academy was a coed institution. The girls who got in would have to be pretty tough. This is also a dub-verse tale. Finally, this is in Peach and Ani's timeline, so this story begins in 2016. _

_**Warning:**__ Vulgar language and very uncomfortable situations. Numerous slurs are also present, but certain words are spelled with asterisks. Our more astute readers will be able to tell what those words are. Further, the insults have actually been heard by your co-authors against gays or people suspected of being so, true or not. This is rated T, but the rating can be upped if it is deemed necessary._

Chazz Princeton, formerly of Duel Academy Central, found himself once again at the top of a school's proverbial food chain. He'd only been at this school a week and he felt like he was running the place. Life was good. He'd dueled everyone at this school and won... _Wait a second... I haven't dueled Twin Slacker or Collins and Stoyko yet!_ he realized, stopping dead in his tracks on the main street between the dorms.

"Crap, gonna be late, gonna be late! Missi's gonna kill me!" Chazz's thoughts were interrupted by the nervous mutterings of another student running around the corner. He was rather average compared to some of the large, buff boys at the school, but wore the same heavy uniform that included a large, brown leather jacket with the school's emblem. Alan Blakeman had short, spiky black hair and brown eyes, and was most likely muttering about his girlfriend. He didn't even seem to notice Chazz as he made to run past the other boy.

"Hey, Alan!" Chazz called out to the big boy.

Said student stumbled, kicking up dirt as he turned around to face Chazz. He ran in place, arms pumping as if to show he was obviously in a hurry. "Hey, Chazz. No offense, but whatever it is, can you make it fast? If I'm not at the main building in the next two minutes, Missi'll have my head," he said quickly.

"Look, Alan, I realized I haven't dueled everybody here. Why haven't I dueled Anderson?" He might've asked about Jeremy Collins and Nick Stoyko, but chose not to.

As if a switch had been flipped, Alan's eyes abruptly widened and he came to a standstill. He stared at Chazz for a few moments, blinking in obvious surprise and hesitation. "...Anderson? You mean... You don't know? You've been here a whole week... I'm surprised no one's told you... Or that you haven't figured it out for yourself," he began awkwardly, rubbing the back of his neck. He glanced off to the side, clearly not eager to have this conversation.

"What do you mean? I mean, I know he's kind of weird," Chazz began. He wasn't sure why in the world Alan suddenly looked so nervous.

"Well, yeah, he's weird!" Alan's discomfort turned to exasperation, as if the answer to Chazz's question was obvious. Glancing around with a frown, he stepped a bit closer to the slighter boy and cupped a hand over his mouth. "C'mon, Chazz. You can't be that oblivious... Anderson's... well, he's _gay_," he whispered.

Whatever Chazz had been expecting, it wasn't this. "What do you mean, gay?" he asked. "He dresses nice..."

Alan sighed, annoyed now as he ran a hand through his spiked hair. "Yeah, that's a part of it. But _come on_. Chazz, he _acts_ like it, too! The way he talks, his hand motions... I even hear he wears lip gloss. _**Lip gloss**_! And, I mean... Don't tell me you already forgot what he did on the first day you were here?" he explained, beginning to lose patience.

"Uh... he gave me CPR?" Chazz muttered, bewildered. Oddly, he remembered the taste of... cherry lip gloss.

"Exactly! Man, he _totally_ used that as an excuse to kiss you! I bet if the rest of us weren't there, he would've gone further..." Alan grimaced at this, obviously too grossed out to even continue the thought. "Anyway, that's why you haven't needed to duel him. I mean... You can ask almost anyone. He's gay. Not really included in the rankings, at least to most of the other guys. I'd stay clear of him if I were you."

Chazz blinked. Why would he steer clear of Twin Slacker because he was gay? And so he asked, "So what if he's gay?"

Alan blinked back. "So what if he's gay? So what if he's _**gay**_? Well, he... I mean... he's... um," he stammered, frowning. He paused, tried once more to answer, but failed and was forced to pause again. Glancing at his watch, Alan's eyes widened. "Look, it's just freaky and weird and abnormal, all right? Take my advice. If you're smart, you won't hang out with him. I gotta go! Missi's gonna rip my head off and feed it to the fish!" he said quickly. Alan then turned on his heel and ran off without giving Chazz a real answer at all.

Chazz couldn't believe what he'd just heard. Sure, not that long ago, saying what Alan had just said would have been acceptable. But this was 2016! The raven-haired boy decided to ask the teal-haired teen about it at the next possible opportunity. Sure enough, it arose almost immediately. Jesse was walking down the street in Chazz's direction. Chazz was about to call out to him when... "Hey, Jesse Fairy!" a large brown-haired boy called out. "How's your boyfriend?"

Jesse stopped in his tracks, though from behind it would seem he was completely normal. However, obvious hurt flashed across his face, though it was smothered with an intake of air and a grin as he turned to face the boy. "My _girlfriend's_ doin' just fine, Roy! Thanks for askin'!" he answered cheerfully. Jesse then turned around— too fast— and continued to walk, though now he was obviously tenser than before. Roy snickered and muttered among his pals.

But Chazz ran up to Jesse. "Hey, Anderson!"

Jesse tensed even more as he stopped again, fists clenched as he whipped around. "Look, I told you I— oh! Chazz, it's you. What's up?" His expression of anger and frustration instantly evaporated into cheerful relief upon sight of his friend.

"What was that all about?" the raven-haired teen asked, his own question shelved.

Jesse blinked, then frowned as he glanced away. "Oh, that? It's nothin'. Just the guys messin' around... you know how it is," he replied, tone strained. He rubbed the back of his neck, as uncomfortable about the topic as Alan had been earlier.

"Well, you're not gay, then." It wasn't a question.

The look on the Southern teen's face was a cross between shock and confusion. "Wh-what? O' course I'm not! Who told ya I was? Whoever it was, they were lyin'! I have a girlfriend! Gosh darn it," he exclaimed in a rush. The pure fear that shone in Jesse's eyes would make a horror author squeal, though the reason for it being there was unknown.

"Look, Anderson, if you were, I wouldn't care. Gay or straight, you're cool," Chazz answered calmly.

For a few long moments, Jesse could only stare at Chazz in obvious amazement. Then a fresh grin formed on his face, and he practically glomped the other with his hug. "Gee, Chazz. I can't tell ya how glad I am to hear that... I don't often," he stated, genuine appreciation in his voice. Jesse pulled back, but kept his hands on Chazz's shoulders as he turned slightly serious. "But really, I'm not. I got a girl back home. Not that I've got anythin' wrong with 'em. I agree with ya there. But... well..." He frowned again as he glanced over at the group of boys who'd teased him. "...Not everyone believes me... or thinks like that... In fact, not too many people do here…"

"I believe you... Why do they think you're gay?"

Jesse scoffed, moving his hands to his hips as his teal brows furrowed. "Some hogwash about the way I talk and act, and the way I move my hands. Oh, and the way I dress. And... uh..." He paused, cheeks heating up a bit as he sweat-dropped and tugged nervously on a lock of his hair.

"You wear lip gloss," Chazz stated bluntly.

Jesse face-planted. "H-h-how did ya know?" he asked, grin sheepish as he stood up.

Chazz flushed a little bit. "I tasted it after you gave me CPR. Cherry or strawberry?"

Jesse sighed. "Sorry about that. It's cherry... I wear it 'cause my lips get really chapped up here in the cold. And, well... Will loves cherries..."

"Will?" the other boy asked blankly. That was a boy's name!

Jesse blinked, confused for a moment. "Yeah, Will." He seemed to understand as he trailed off, and he quickly waved his hands in front of him defensively. "Oh! Ya think-? No, no! My gal's name is Willow. But she likes goin' by Will as a nickname. She's kinda tomboyish. Best gal on her curlin' team!" he explained proudly.

"Oh, okay... Sorry, Twin Slacker," Chazz apologized. "That just caught me off guard. Man, you've got it rough..."

Jesse frowned. "Not as rough as some people at this school..."

Chazz's eyebrows raised. "I'm heading to the snack bar. Do you want to join me? We can keep talking..."

Jesse smiled and smacked Chazz on the back good-naturedly. "Sure thing, bud! Let's go. I suppose it's best if ya found this out from me."

"Okay. So... who has it rougher?" he asked after a long moment of silence as they walked in the brisk air. Jesse didn't answer, though his face darkened as if a cloud had briefly covered the sun. Chazz waited another moment and then decided to be direct. "Jesse, is somebody here gay?"

Jesse sighed. "Yeah, Chazz... Two guys, as a matter of fact. You ain't dueled 'em either, have you?"

Chazz thought carefully. None of the boys he'd met seemed gay. Then again, he hadn't asked. "Who is it?"

"Jeremy Collins and Nikolai Stoyko. You probably didn't know 'cause they've had to be more careful with their relationship. They used to be open about it, but... that's when the trouble started," Jesse explained, keeping his voice down and pausing if they passed someone. He was obviously nervous about being overheard; the same way everyone seemed to be on-edge about this topic.

Chazz blinked again. "You don't mean..." He'd heard of cases in the world where gay couples were hounded, beaten and even killed. That something was happening here... That hurt.

Jesse nodded. "Mostly verbal stuff, but... there were a few times they got hurt... Mostly Nick, 'cause he'd real protective of Jeremy. Luckily, I ain't gotten hurt yet, mainly 'cause they can't prove nothin'."

Chazz shivered slightly as a cold wind suddenly blew through the street. But part of the shiver wasn't from the cold. "How bad?" He was thinking of what he'd learned at Duel Academy Prep about intolerance against homosexuals in his history books. He'd learned about the beating death of Matthew Shepard and it had actually made him sick.

"No broken bones, thank God. Just bloody noses, bruises, black eyes... I think it helped that Nick isn't exactly a pushover, and Jeremy's no beanpole either. But still... it's never an even fight." Jesse bit his lip as he remembered coming across the couple once after a really bad scuffle had occurred.

Y Y Y Y Y Y Y Y Y Y Y Y Y Y Y Y Y

It had been in September before Chazz had arrived. "Jeremy... Want to go to the snack bar?" Nick Stoyko asked his boyfriend, smiling. "I hear they have great hot chocolate."

Jeremy Collins grinned, holding the taller boy's hand tightly in his own as they walked. Having grown up in Alaska, he was used to the cold, and actually found the day to be rather warm. He wore his jacket tied around his waist, showing off his black and white-striped sweater. His blond hair fell to his shoulders, and his blue eyes sparkled with excitement at the prospect of hot cocoa. "That sounds great, Nick! I heard they even have special toppings like whipped cream and caramel."

Nick Stoyko, by contrast, had spiky black hair tipped with purple dye and bright green eyes. He was thinner than Jeremy and taller as aforementioned. He, too, had been raised in Alaska and he and Jeremy had been together since they were in seventh grade. But unlike Jeremy, Nick got cold easily. Today he wore a black sweater and a bright green jacket and two layers of pants. "Yeah... Beats those cold nights when we were out of the stuff while doing homework, right?"

Jeremy shivered. "Brr, yeah. That's one thing I miss from home. Cuddling up under that special blanket my mom gave me," he replied, smiling at the pleasant memory.

"Yeah," Nick remembered. "We had our first kiss under that blanket."

Jeremy blushed a little at that, but his reply was interrupted by another voice. "Your first kiss? What? That's gross!" called someone from up ahead. Three boys stood about a yard away from the couple, either grimacing or sneering.

Nick flushed. He'd never experienced this, but had read about it. "Why?" he asked.

The boy in the middle had brown hair, his bangs hiding one of his gray eyes from view. "Isn't it obvious? You're both _**guys**_! And you _**kissed**_? What the heck?" he answered, making a face.

Jeremy's face burned red as he gripped Nick's hand a bit tighter, his other hand clenching into a fist. "H-hey, that's not right! So what if we're both guys? Two guys can love each other, too! Gender doesn't matter!"

"Yeah, it does!" another of the three yelled. "It's against nature! And it's against God!"

Jeremy jerked back as if slapped; that one had hurt. As if sensing the blow, the brunette spoke up again to feed the fire. "He's right! You two should be ashamed! Prancing around like this, holding hands... Why don't you just act like men and get girlfriends already?"

"Because we were born this way! We're men like you," Nick answered with a little heat in his voice.

"Oh yeah? Then prove it! I bet you hit like a girl, seeing as you act like one!" The last guy, who hadn't spoken yet, taunted.

Jeremy sensed the anger rising up in his boyfriend and squeezed his hand. "Nick, c'mon... let's just leave," he murmured, worried.

Nick nodded. "Yeah, let's go. They're not worth it."

With another light tug, Jeremy managed to turn his aggravated boyfriend around. However, before they could get far, it became quite clear that things wouldn't be that easy. "Hey, you little f**s! Don't you just walk away from us!" shouted the brunette. The three had closed the distance between themselves and the couple, and Jeremy gasped as he was roughly shoved in the back. His hand came loose from Nick's and he fell to his stomach in the dirt, hissing lightly in pain.

"Look! The little f***** can't even walk straight!" exclaimed one of the others, and they all laughed.

Nick's eyes blazed. "What the heck do you think you're doing?" His fists clenched, ready to defend his boyfriend if necessary. The guy who had said that their relationship was "against God" threw another punch, hitting Nick. Nick punched back.

Jeremy gasped, scrambling to his feet. "N-Nick, stop, I'm okay! Leave him alone! Stop fighting!" he shouted, eyes wide. However, he wasn't about to leave his boyfriend in a three-against-one fight, seeing as they wouldn't listen. Jeremy jumped into the fray as well, though the odds were still against them. Strange how it seemed no one was around; no teachers, no students. Fists flew and more insults were exchanged, but somehow the couple managed to tire the three out enough that they ran off eventually.

The couple was injured nastily. "Do... do we go to the nurse?" Nick coughed, feeling his right eye beginning to swell.

"I... I think we have to, Nick," Jeremy groaned, pinching the bridge of his nose in an effort to stop the blood flow.

"Man... how could they do that?" Nick asked, his head beginning to spin. He had been hit in the head and might have a slight concussion.

Jeremy moved his hand from his bruised side to hold Nick's again, squeezing it a little. "B-because they could... I was worried this might happen," he murmured sadly.

Just then, someone finally came into view, none other than Jesse Anderson. "Hey, Nick! Hey, Jer- HOLY SMOKES! What the heck happened?" he yelped mid-sentence. His friendly grin turned into a worried frown as he ran over to the injured couple.

Nick fell to his knees at this moment. "Just some guys... Jesse... We need to see the nurse."

Jesse paled slightly, but shook it off and quickly helped Nick to his feet. "I understand. C'mon, I'll help ya there. Just try to stay conscious."

Jeremy also helped support his boyfriend, though he limped as he did so. "Thanks, Jesse..."

Y Y Y Y Y Y Y Y Y Y Y Y Y Y Y Y Y Y Y Y Y Y Y

Chazz's eyes couldn't have been any wider at the end of Jesse's tale than they were. "They just... beat up on them? Unprovoked? Tell me those jerks didn't get away with it!"

Jesse crossed his arms over his chest. "Well, they felt they couldn't report it 'cause of how small the school is..."

Chazz thought about it. 'At DA Central, those guys would get expelled, but... If enough of the student body thought like those jerks, I'd be scared too...' "Yeah, I can see why... But they can't just get away with that! It's wrong!"

"It is. But it's hard to do anythin' about it when there's only a handful of people on your side. Some of the students are against gays and the ones who aren't on either side avoid the conflicts all together. Pretend they aren't there," Jesse explained, a mixture of anger and sadness swirling in his blue-green eyes.

"And you've gotten caught because you match a stereotype..."

He grimaced. "Yeah... but like I said, it's just some teasin'. I can deal with that. I'm more worried about Nick and Jeremy."

"But..." Chazz took a deep breath, unsure of what to say next. This was an unusual position for him to be in. _What do I say?_ he thought wildly. _The Chazz doesn't just hop in and say, "Gee! Of course I'll help!" That's something Slacker would say!_ Outwardly, he frowned, a combination of anger, frustration and sadness.

Jesse blinked at the sudden change in Chazz's expression, scratching his head in confusion. "Uh, Chazz? You okay, bud?" he asked, worried.

The dark-haired teen regarded the teal-headed Southern boy for a moment before answering. At this moment, his resemblance to Jaden was even stronger. "Yeah, yeah. I'm just thinking about how to deal with this, Twin Slacker. It's not right."

"Oh, okay. Well, there's not much ya _**can**_ do, Chazz... I hate to say it, but unless you're there when this stuff happens, it's hard to help," the other boy explained dejectedly. The boys walked on to the snack bar and got a few treats, sitting down at a small table out of the way.

"Look, Jesse," Chazz said when they were seated, "there's got to be something that can be done." He was talking in a low voice, but evidently someone took that as an invitation.

"Hey, Jesse, have you found a new boyfriend? Does he like your lip gloss?" taunted a very large blonde boy with brown eyes.

Jesse winced, obviously pained by the comment, but merely clenched his fists and grinned at the other boy. "'Course not, Jamie. Just hangin' with the new guy. Nothin' different from what y'all are doin'," he answered. However, there was an obvious strain in his voice as he gestured at the other boys sitting with Jamie.

Jamie smirked. At that moment a teacher walked into the room. "Everything okay here, boys?" he asked, having not heard anything but seen Jesse's strained expression.

"Yes, sir," Jamie said easily.

"Okay, carry on..."

Jesse sighed as the teacher left, resting his head in one of his hands. "Ya see, Chazz? Nothin' to do but grin and bear it. Somethin' Pa always told me," he whispered.

But something told Chazz it wasn't over. "You can only grin and bear it for so long," he answered softly. "That guy's planning something..."

Jesse blinked, straightening in surprise and curiosity at his friend's words. "Huh? What do ya mean, Chazz? How can ya tell?" he questioned, but kept his voice low.

Chazz's eyes narrowed. He couldn't tell Twin Slacker about his life. Heck, he hadn't told anyone, especially not original Slacker! "I just know. We're gonna have to watch our backs..."

Jesse glanced over at the group of boys, though he himself couldn't see anything different from what he always saw. "Well, all right, Chazz. I still don't know what ya think they're gonna do, but I was raised not to ignore advice from a friend," he replied at last, smiling.

The students went on about their day, taking classes, playing around and doing what they normally did. Alan met with his girlfriend, Missi, an African-American girl from Seattle. "Alan, are you all right? You seem tense," she observed. Today she was wearing a pair of blue jeans, a white turtleneck and a shocking pink sweater.

Alan sighed, moving to put his arm around his girlfriend's shoulders. Seeing as the school had only ten girls and forty-four boys— likely because of the rigorous, dangerous entrance exam— he was lucky to have gotten Missi to date him. "I'm fine, Missi. Just got a lot on my mind," he muttered, gaze unfocused.

She twirled one of her soft curls around her finger, a nervous gesture. "Alan... if something's going on, I wish you'd tell me. But let's go play some rugby..."

He inwardly sighed in relief, grinning as he pulled her a bit closer to him. "Now you're talkin'. It'll warm us up a little and I can teach you some new moves I learned," he replied eagerly, glad for the change of subject.

Something told Missi that Alan was hiding something big from her. But how big wouldn't be clear until the next day. They played rugby, had dinner and then after dinner, the girls headed to their cabin while the boys headed to their cabins. Jesse lived in one cabin with nine other boys and on this night, he did what he usually did to get ready for bed.

_Chazz seemed real worried... maybe it was just too much for him to take all at once. I bet he's just over-reactin'. I'll challenge him to a duel tomorrow. Maybe that'll cheer him up!_ Jesse thought as he pulled on his pajamas, having just finished a nice, hot shower. He'd had a long day and was looking forward to a good night's sleep in his soft, warm bed.

He climbed into bed and had snuggled down when his roommates came around his bed. "Hey, Fairy Anderson," a burly red-haired boy said.

_Oh, great. Of all the times,_ the Southern teen groaned in his head. Not in the mood for what he figured was more harmless teasing, Jesse rolled over in his bed and didn't even open his eyes. "Aw, c'mon, fellas. Not now... it's way too late for this stuff. Do it tomorrow," he muttered through a tired yawn.

"Oh, it's the perfect time for this... And just think, you may get to live out a fantasy, you f*****g f*****," a boy with Day-Glo green hair grinned cruelly. Two of the boys grabbed him holding his arms. Two other held his legs.

As soon as those two F words flew out of the boy's mouth, Jesse's eyes snapped open and he whipped around to see who had the guts to insult him so blatantly. But before he could even turn around fully, he suddenly found himself pinned. "What the-? Get off of me! What in tarnation do y'all think you're doin'?" he shouted angrily. Jesse struggled, and perhaps he could have gotten away from two boys, but four was simply too much. As quickly as his anger was flared, it was being replaced by fear and confusion. Immobilization and an unfamiliar situation would make any person nervous.

What followed was perhaps the most savage beating Jesse had ever gotten. He'd been in his share of fist fights in junior high (his father had taught him to fight back) and most often come off the better. But tonight, he couldn't fight back. Five boys started punching. "This is what you get for being an abnormality," one of the punchers shouted.

Jesse could do nothing as the blows rained down on his unprotected body, biting down hard on his lip so as not to scream from the pain. He knew that was what these people craved, knew it would only egg them on. The only time he opened his mouth was to reply and try to talk sense into his attackers. "L-last time I checked, urgh, gangin' up on a g-guy and— argh— beatin' him in his own bed was an ABNORMALITY!"

"Well, maybe you like this," one of his attackers smirked, touching where he shouldn't. "Yeah, I'll bet you want this..."

Jesse's eyes widened and his face drained of color, aside from where he'd been punched. He'd heard stories about physical assault evolving into sexual assault in the more brutal attacks against men even suspected of being gay. What the teen had just done sent a whole new jolt of fear through him and made him double his efforts to break free of his attackers. "Aw, th-that's sick! Stop! I've got a gal back home!"

"Yeah, right," the guy grinned cruelly. But he withdrew. The punching continued for a good five minutes.

Finally, when Jesse was a bloody mess, they stopped. "Think twice about your lifestyle, fairy," the red-headed attacker growled like an angry panther.

Jesse only coughed a little and groaned in response, eyes closed as his body instinctively curled in upon itself in case his attackers decided to keep going. His entire body throbbed all over, though some parts of it had gone numb. He wasn't even sure where exactly he was bleeding because it had gotten smeared over his front, and he knew he had two black eyes. Jesse could only hope they'd leave and give him a chance to find help; there was no way he could make it to the nurse on his own. And he didn't want to risk staying here one more minute.

And as the nine boys, including a rather guilt-ridden Alan, headed to the bathroom to clean up the evidence of what they did, Jesse crept out of the room. He staggered out into the main street, pain ripping through his body with every step. "Bi-bi," Ruby Carbuncle called out in concern. Her friend, her littermate was in pain and there was nothing she could do to help him.

Meanwhile, on the porch of the dorm right across from Jesse's sat Chazz. 'Man,' he thought. _How do I stand up to this? Slade would say I shouldn't do what's politically unpopular... But I can't just..._ His mind was a jumble.

Jesse knew exactly where he was going. He wasn't expecting the person he was looking for to be awake, let alone sitting outside. Coughing slightly, he looked up through one half-open eye and saw Chazz on the porch of his cabin. The amount of relief that flooded through Jesse in that moment was indescribable. "Ch-Chazz," he called weakly, stumbling a little. There was the slightest of blood trails behind him, but nothing serious.

In fact it was so weak, Chazz didn't hear it. However, he just happened to be looking in the right place at the right time. "Oh, my God! Jesse!" he shouted, running off the porch right to the other boy. He quickly moved to support the teal-head as Jesse was clearly beginning to weaken. "What the hell happened?"

Jesse grimaced as his bruised arm and side smarted with the contact, though he largely ignored it and leaned heavily on Chazz. "L-long... story... got... b-beat up," he mumbled, exhausted. He could barely keep his eyes open as they made their way toward Chazz's cabin.

"Let's get you lying down! And I'm going to get the nurse. Dammit," he growled.

"Mmhmm... Thanks..." The Southern boy's words were barely understandable as he practically collapsed onto the large couch in the main common room of the cabin. He lost consciousness soon after, unable to stay awake any longer.

_Yes, this is a cliffhanger. What is the extent of damage to our teal-headed young man? What will Chazz do now? In fact, what will happen to the students who perpetrated this crime? Will the school become cuddly toward homosexuals as in a TV movie? Will it be like an episode of __**Glee**__? Or will it be somewhere in between? You'll have to return to see. So until then, please read and review. Thank you!_


	2. Chapter 2

_Hello again, loyal readers and welcome back to __**Rainbow Dragon Pride**__. Thanks to all of you who reviewed. And about the reference to TV movies and __**Glee**__, that was intended as a tongue-in-cheek joke. I'm not much into TV movies and I hardly ever watch __**Glee**__, though I adore the music and the clips I've seen on YouTube, as well as the little bit of the Super Bowl episode where the cheer coach wanted to shoot her students out of a cannon. _

_Last time on __**Yu-Gi-Oh GX: Rainbow Dragon Pride,**__ Chazz, somewhat new to North Academy, found out that three students were being ostracized for being or suspected of being gay. One of them, Jesse Anderson, urged that nothing be done. Unfortunately, that tactic, as is sometimes the case, didn't work. He dragged himself to Chazz's dorm, only to collapse a moment later. Will Jesse be all right? Will the perpetrators face any sort of justice? _

_**Disclaimer:**__ If I owned GX, what I wrote would be canon. So clearly, I don't own it. I only own OCs and non-established characters. I don't own any corporations, mail order services, breakfast cereals or anything else like that. If I did, I'd be rich beyond the dreams of avarice. I do, however, own this story, and if you want to use anything from it for any reason, you have to ask._

_**Warning: **__Mild language and some violence. Some language has been bleeped in order to save the T rating._

_**Author's note:**__ Willow's kink, if you will, is cherry lip gloss, and Jesse has gotten into the habit of wearing it even when she's not around. It reminds him of nights spent smooching up a storm. And later, it will remind him of the night he and Willow went and got matching tattoos in a place no one but them and their families know about. Special thanks to The Rainwalker, who helped me to complete this tale. He helped with the last section and I am grateful. Thanks to Vampiric Dragonrider who took a second look at this story and offered suggestions on the fight scene. Finally, a reminder that this is the dub-verse, so that big fellow that Chazz dueled has a Pavel Chekov-style accent. Thank you for your attention._

Fortunately, Chazz's shout had awakened the boys in his dorm. Clad in their pajamas, nine boys raced downstairs to see what had happened. "Chazz, what is the problem?" the former Czar asked before he saw. His eyes widened, stomach dropping. "Jesse Anderson... he is..." The boy in front of him on the couch was a mess of bruises and blood, the area around his eyes rapidly darkening. Chazz had managed to flip him onto his side so if the teal-haired boy threw up, it wouldn't block his airway.

"He's hurt! He needs the nurse!" Chazz snapped. This might have surprised people who'd known him since elementary school, but here at North Academy, his brothers weren't over his shoulder.

One of the other boys was already calling said woman using the cabin's phone. "I'll go and get the first-aid kit!" another exclaimed, running off.

A third followed after him. "I'll grab some blankets!" he called over his shoulder.

Chazz nodded, keeping an eye on his… Well, Chazz might not have thought of Jesse as a friend, but if he were honest with himself, the boy lying on the couch was that. "Hang in there, Twin Slacker," he whispered as one of the guys returned with the first aid kit. Wisely he put on rubber gloves that came with the kit and opened Jesse's top. Bruises were already blooming on his chest. "Why did they do this," he muttered, cleaning blood off as best he could as the smell of antiseptic filled the air.

"Man, how could this happen... I saw him before he went back to his cabin. He looked fine," one of the students muttered. He was shaken that someone could get beaten like this at the school.

"Maybe... They got him because," a smaller boy began, "because he's..."

"He's not," Chazz said quietly. Sure, Jesse had protested a lot, but when the raven-haired boy thought about it, what would he, Chazz, do in a similar situation? Wouldn't he protest that he wasn't gay and keep doing so if the accusations got abusive as they had here? He admitted to himself that he'd probably do the same thing.

"They got him because they thought he was... But even if he was, that's no reason to go street rat crazy on him!" the small boy amended, face extremely pale.

"Yeah, but, it's nothing new... I mean, remember Nick and Jeremy? I saw them after a beat-down once," still another boy added, coming with an ice pack.

"So in the last month or so, they've been beat up just because they're gay?" Chazz demanded, now placing the ice pack on Jesse's swollen eyes.

The boy who had spoken wilted a little. "I didn't mean it like that... Not like I think it's right... Just saying," he muttered, shame tingeing his voice. The other boys had similar looks of guilt on their faces.

"Doesn't this school have rules against that crap?"

"Yes, Chazz, but most students do not enforce it," the Czar said, his eyes turning to the floor. The raven-haired teen went paler than usual with anger. He couldn't believe what he was hearing. Was this stuff actually being allowed? But then he remembered how he had gotten away with things at Duel Academy Prep. He'd done things when teachers weren't looking and the other student had more often than not gotten into trouble instead.

Sure, the bullied student could tell, but it wasn't as powerful without the teachers having seen it or witnesses telling what they'd seen. The teachers might investigate the accusations, but the bullies, knowing that they were being observed, wouldn't act. Eventually the teachers would stop watching and the cycle would begin anew. The unspoken Way Things Are is that teachers often see the retaliation, not the action that leads to it, and it seemed to Chazz that North Academy was much the same.

The smaller boy spoke up again, nervously. "W-we're outnumbered... The others either go along with it, ignore it or just walk away."

"You guys can ignore this?" Chazz shouted. His dark gray eyes were flashing like storm clouds. "I can't! And you guys shouldn't either!" He looked around, perhaps unrealistically hoping that they would all stand with him as often happened on TV. However, his statement received mixed reactions. Three of the boys, including the Czar, nodded and muttered to each other in agreement. Three others, including the smaller boy, still seemed unsure and worried about what to do. The remaining three boys looked unconvinced, stubborn in their belief that if they didn't get involved they'd be safe and that's all that mattered.

Chazz clenched his fists. "I'm telling the nurse... And if those guys did what we think they did, they'll at least be suspended." He unclenched, the tension in the rest of his body not abating. "They need to pay."

"Well, we're with you, Chazz. I know I'm tired of constantly being scared," one of the boys standing with the Czar stated.

However, the three who remained unconvinced shook their heads and one spoke as they left the common room. "Good luck with that. You're just gonna get yourself hurt too..." Chazz sighed. He could've called after them, but realized there was no point. For whatever reason, they didn't want to get involved. But at least, he reflected, they did regard Jesse as a human being who didn't deserve what he got.

"We are with you, friend," the Czar said, kneeling next to the couch. It was uncertain at that moment who the young man was speaking to. "We should move him. He can have my bed," he offered, meeting Chazz's eyes with his own.

"After the nurse gets here..."

Y Y Y Y Y Y Y Y Y Y Y Y Y Y

Up in North Academy's main building, Chancellor Vincent Foster was sleeping deeply, dreaming of the upcoming School Duel and seeing the sweet face of Duel Academy's snack bar and card shack owner, Dorothy. She opened her mouth to speak and sang… in a man's voice! She was singing Starship's **Sara. **The song became louder and the North Academy chancellor's eyes flew open. "Hello?" he asked, picking up his PDA, remembering whose ringtone that was.

"Chancellor, I'm sorry to disturb you at such a late hour, but a physical assault has just been reported." The voice was that of Sarah Jones, the school nurse and proctor for the girls' cabin. She had long red hair that curled around her lower back and deep blue eyes, and had called Foster on her PDA as she ran with her medical bag in hand. Having been woken from sleep as well, Sarah had merely slipped on a robe over her nightgown and put on some sneakers.

"A physical assault?" Foster asked, running his fingers over the bald top of his head and into the fringe of hair that ran around the edges of his head. His gray eyes became pools of worry as he put on his glasses and then a robe and sneakers.

"That's what I've been told. And I think it's a bad one, Vincent... I suggest you come down to cabin three as soon as you can. I'm going to look the boy over and patch him up before deciding whether or not he needs to be moved to the infirmary," she explained, voice solemn and worried.

"All right, Sarah. I'll be right down there. This is getting very disturbing. We've had ten incidents of this kind since school started."

"I'll talk to the boys when I get there. Maybe they know something. See you soon," Sarah finished as she hung up, finally entering the cabin. She didn't waste any time, walking straight to the couch where Jesse lay unconscious. "Oh, dear, do any of you boys know what happened?" she asked, eyes wide. While she waited for an answer, the nurse snapped on a pair of gloves and pulled a few tools from her bag.

Chancellor Foster's jaw dropped when he entered the cabin a moment later. "What in Heaven's name..?"

"Sir, Ms. Jones, it was because they thought Jesse was gay," Chazz said, meeting their eyes.

Sarah gasped in shock, pausing in her work of cleaning Jesse's busted lip. "What? Because they thought he was gay? Chancellor," she muttered, looking over at her superior to see what he would say. She'd had her suspicions that something like this was going on, but no one had chosen to come forward.

Foster's face tightened. Normally, he was a calm, gentle man who wouldn't hurt a fly. But now it was clear that he was extremely angry. His jaw twitched and his eyes blazed as a vein on his forehead throbbed. "This is going to have serious consequences for whoever did this."

"Ms. Jones, is Jesse going to be okay?" Chazz asked.

The nurse sighed as she moved on to Jesse's bloody nose. "Okay would be the best way to put it. Nothing broken, thankfully. But he'll have two black eyes and is going to be so sore that it will probably hurt too much to walk for at least a day. There also doesn't appear to be any damage to his head, but he'll have to be observed in case he has a concussion. Though it may not look like it, I believe he came out of this very lucky."

"Is it necessary to move him to the infirmary?" Foster asked.

And then the Czar, whose name was actually Ivan stated, "He can take my bed. I will sleep on the couch."

"That's very sweet of you, Ivan. I was considering moving him, Chancellor, but perhaps it would be best for him to stay here among friends. All he really needs is rest and a little patching up," Sarah replied with a nod as she finished her ministrations. "Also, he'll need a change of PJ's. There wasn't a lot of bleeding, but there was enough to stain his pajamas a decent amount."

Chazz offered a pair of his. Jesse came around and was moved to Ivan's bed about 5 minutes later. Chazz sat in a chair next to the bed, along with Chancellor Foster and Sarah. "...Jesse, we won't let this go unpunished," the Chancellor promised.

Jesse smiled, but only momentarily seeing as moving his mouth made his split lip sting. "Thanks, Chancellor... I'm glad... but you know, I'm not the only one y'all should be worryin' about," he murmured, still tired and weak.

"Easy, son... We'll talk more about it in the morning when you're feeling a little bit better. I've been able to guess what's going on, and it's going to stop somehow," the chancellor said firmly but gently. "Ms. Jones and I are going to leave in just a little bit, and Chazz can call us if you need us, all right?"

The injured boy sighed, but nodded. "Okay, got it..."

The nurse and chancellor left and the other boys got into bed. "Man, Twin Slacker... you're gonna keep me up all night," the teen in the long blue coat complained as he made himself comfortable.

Jesse managed a short grin, unable to stop himself from chuckling a bit. "Sorry, Chazz. Don't mean to be any trouble. You could've let me go to the infirmary, you know," he reminded, closing his eyes.

"Yeah, and then you'd expect me to visit," the other boy answered with his usual acerbity. "Don't make me laugh."

"Aw, you're worried about me? Shucks, buddy, now you're makin' me blush," Jesse teased, and would have grinned would it not have resulted in pain.

It was yet another odd moment for the former member of DA Central. "Yeah, yeah, I'm a real saint," he said. "Look, you gave me CPR over a week ago. I owed you one."

"Right. So now we're even," The half-asleep teen yawned. "Thanks anyway, Chazz... I'm glad you were there..."

"Me too," Chazz muttered, but not loud enough that Jesse could hear it. "Just sleep, Twin Slacker," he added in a slightly louder voice.

Y Y Y Y Y Y Y Y Y Y Y Y Y Y Y Y Y Y Y Y

By morning, Chazz was exhausted but convinced that Jesse would be all right. One of the other boys in the dorm brought breakfast to the two and Chazz fed him. "Guess you're stuck on oatmeal this morning, Twin Slacker," he observed.

Jesse pouted, looking and acting very much like a certain Slifer at Duel Academy Central. "Aw, darn it. Just oatmeal? That's so borin'. I hope I can eat real food tomorrow," he whined, but nonetheless ate.

"Well, there is sugar on it," Chazz answered. "Besides, your lips are split and regular food would sting like hell."

"Yeah, yeah, I know. I'm almost willin' to deal with it if it means better food. But y'all wouldn't give it to me even if I said it was okay. Hmph," Jesse sulked, though it was only half-hearted.

The two boys ate in silence for a while. When Jesse had finished the last bite of oatmeal, Chazz took a breath. "I've reported what happened last night... Chancellor Foster and Ms. Jones know about it. I wasn't sure you'd remember this morning."

"Hmm? Ya did? Chazz, ya know what could happen, don't ya?" Jesse replied, frowning with worry for his friend.

Chazz clenched and unclenched his fists, tensing already. "Yeah, I know," he said finally. "But... look, Jesse, there are times when you just can't stay quiet. And I can't stay quiet on this. They just clobbered you because they thought you were gay. Do you think Nick and Jeremy will be safe?"

Jesse sighed, fingers flexing from their spot on the blanket. "I know... And I do wanna get this whole mess sorted out. But... now _I've_ got a bad feelin', Chazz. This is gonna kick up somethin' even worse, I just know it."

"You're worrying too much, Twin... Jesse," Chazz answered with some bravado. But the truth was he knew Jesse was right. This might get worse before it got better.

And then there was a knock at the door. "Boys, it's Chancellor Foster. Can I come in?"

Jesse smiled, still wary of grinning because of his hurt lip. "Sure thing, Chancellor!"

The chancellor stepped in, closing the door behind him. No one else was in the room but him and the two boys. "How are you feeling this morning, Jesse?" he asked, sitting down on the bed next to the injured boy's.

"Better. Still real sore, but otherwise I'm fine," the teen answered cheerfully.

Foster nodded, but he could see the pain and fear in the boy's eyes. "How about you, Chazz?"

"Okay, sir. I'm a little bit tired."

"Okay, boys... I'm here to ask you some questions..."

Jesse sighed. "About last night, right?"

"Yes, Jesse."

Foster drew in a breath and slowly let it out. "I'm afraid this situation is very, very serious. And it saddens me that such a thing has taken place at this school..."

Jesse couldn't stop himself from glancing away, a frown on his face. "It... this isn't the first time, Chancellor," he mumbled.

The chancellor nodded gravely. "I'm aware of it now, Jesse... Those who have been beaten for this haven't come forward to say it was perpetrated for the reason Chazz says you were beaten up."

The Southern boy's eyes widened as much as they could being slightly swollen. "You mean, you know already?"

The chancellor sighed. "Let's just say I have reason to believe that this isn't an isolated incident. But I want to know exactly what happened last night, Jesse. I have to know in order to act."

The injured teen instantly seemed to become very uncomfortable, fidgeting slightly over his blankets. "Uh... everythin'?"

Foster seemed to sense something more than just a beating had occurred. "Would you like Chazz to leave the room?"

Jesse frowned, looking over at his newest and perhaps closest friend, even if said friend wasn't totally open yet. He wanted Chazz to stay because he was a true comfort to him, but at the same time he was nervous about how the other would react. "I... uh..."

Chazz tensed, not quite understanding what had happened, but knowing that look. He'd seen it in the mirror the morning after Slade and Jagger had made him see things little children weren't supposed to see. He looked Jesse straight in the eyes, trying to give the other boy some sort of comfort.

Seeing that reaction, Jesse knew that somehow Chazz understood what he was going to say. He didn't know how, and he wouldn't for a long time, but that wasn't important right now. "No, he can stay," he answered at last. Pulling in a breath, Jesse slowly explained what he remembered from last night, struggling when he described what the one boy had done to him.

Anger boiled through the raven-haired boy at this. All he knew was that he would like nothing better than to rip those nine boys apart single-handedly. Chancellor Foster took careful notes, meanwhile, frowning slightly at certain points. When Jesse finished, he nodded. "Jesse, this will be dealt with. Thank you for telling me."

"Yeah, sure, whatever'll help, Chancellor," Jesse answered softly, closing his eyes in a show of being tired.

Foster smiled kindly. "You just rest. It's a good thing today is Saturday."

"Yup. No homework to make up."

Foster grinned at that. He bade the boys good-bye and went off to make his determinations. Chazz breathed a sigh of relief at that. "Glad that part's over," he said.

"Me too," Jesse said through a sigh of his own, unusually solemn. An awkward silence reigned for a moment. Jesse, sensing the tension, sweat-dropped. "Uh, so... how 'bout a game?"

Chazz decided, for once, to give in. "Sure... What do you want to play?"

Suddenly, Jesse managed a small grin. "How 'bout a—"

"No. Dueling," Chazz stated immediately, a crazed gleam in his eyes. "No dueling today!"

Jesse's pout from earlier returned full-force. "Aw shucks. This day ain't gettin' any better."

"You can't stand up to use your duel disk, and I am not dragging you up, Twin Slacker!"

"I guess you're right," the other said through a fresh sigh. "Then what do we do?"

"Tic-Tac-Toe? Poker?"

Jesse couldn't hold back a grin, though it made him wince. "Poker? Really, Chazz?"

"Sure. Poker... Is there a deck somewhere in here?"

"Dunno. It's Ivan's room; you'd have to ask him." Fortunately, Ivan returned to the dorms and Chazz got the deck. Ivan was glad to join in the game, as were two other boys. They played five rounds, the prize and poker chips being Froot Loops.

"Come to Papa!" Chazz smirked on the last round, having called Jesse's bluff.

"Tarnation, Chazz! How did ya know I was bluffin'?" Jesse whined, tossing down his cards.

"Lucky guess. But I will share the wealth." Chazz wasn't big on Froot Loops, anyway, though he did like eating the red ones.

"Froot Loops are very good," Ivan stated, crunching on a few.

"Least I can have a few of these. Better than that stupid oatmeal," Jesse agreed, popping a few into his mouth.

Y Y Y Y Y Y Y Y Y Y Y Y Y Y Y Y Y Y Y Y Y

By Monday, things seemed to be more peaceful at the school. Jesse was well enough to go to class and the nine students who had engaged in the beating were suspended and restricted to their dorm. Jesse, of course, had been temporarily quartered in Chazz's dorm. And then, Chancellor Foster announced that there would be an announcement at 7th period.

"Wonder what that's about?" Missi muttered to her female classmates. "And I haven't seen Alan since Friday night, and his PDA is off and the dorm isn't allowing any calls."

"That's not good. The only time I've ever heard of that happening is if an entire dorm gets suspended," one of the junior girls stated.

Missi stopped in her tracks. "Could it... be possible?" she muttered. Her stomach clenched. But Alan wouldn't have been so stupid, would he? And why would he have taken part in a beat-down like that?

And then to her horror, a boy from another dorm walked by talking to his buddy. "All nine in B Dorm suspended... And Andersen's over in C Dorm..."

A hush came over the group of girls, most of them looking at Missi in either pity or curiosity. After all, what could have happened to get almost an entire dorm suspended? And why was Jesse Anderson excluded? And then that hush became dead silence. Jesse had just walked out of the dorm and it was clear what had happened to him. "Alan... Alan, you didn't," Missi moaned.

The silence only lasted for around ten seconds before the group of female students began whispering in worry and amazement over what may have happened. One or two had also had their boyfriends in Jesse's dorm, and they held similar expressions of horror on their faces. "They couldn't have... No way..."

But they had. One of the boys in the A Dorm was furious. "They were suspended just for that?" he shouted in the lunchroom.

"Suspended for beating up fellow student. That is wrong," Ivan countered with a surprisingly calm voice. "Nine beat him up. Therefore, they are suspended."

The lunch room was abuzz with whispers as well as purposefully loud comments, and this exchange only increased the conversation. Jesse couldn't stop himself from sinking in his seat a little, catching his name in so many tones that he began wishing it wasn't Jesse. "Knew this would happen," he muttered, the words almost inaudible in the unusually loud lunchroom.

Fortunately, that was as far as it got. But anyone could sense the tension now coming through the student body. "This announcement... I hope it's not what I think it is," Chazz muttered at the end of 6th period.

"Oh, it will be. I knew it was comin'... and afterwards things ain't gonna be sunshine and rainbows, as Mama used to tell me," Jesse replied through a sigh, burying his still-bruised face in a hand.

Sure enough, it was the dreaded announcement about an anti-bullying workshop. "Oh, crap," Chazz groaned as he sat in his seventh period class.

"Students, in the past few weeks, we have noticed more violence among the student body than we've seen in this school in its eight-year history. It saddens me that we have such anger among our body, but we must deal with it," Chancellor Foster said over the intercom. "Tomorrow, we will have a school-wide workshop on bullying prevention. We hope it will be a good experience for all of you..."

"Oh, crap," Chazz groaned again into his desk. While some of the students wouldn't be angry that the students who'd hurt Jesse were in trouble, they might just be angry at having to go to a workshop of any sort.

Jesse was practically hiding under his. "This ain't gonna end well..." Both boys felt several pairs of angry eyes on them. Even though the school allowed students to report problems confidentially, in such a small school, secrets couldn't easily be kept. And both boys knew they were in a lot of trouble now. "I know we did the right thing and all, Chazz, but I told ya this would happen," Jesse whispered through a groan.

"Yeah, well..." Chazz could only begin with that, and suddenly found himself oddly wishing that his older brothers were around. His relationship with them was terrible, but because what he was doing was politically right, Slade would actually have given him and Jesse protection. "You were right," he admitted softly before the teacher glanced their way. Jesse might have replied, but he didn't want to get in trouble. The remainder of the class either went agonizingly slow or far too quickly for the students, but either way, the bell soon rang like some sort of signal.

The two boys gathered up their PDAs and headed out into the hall. And then Chazz felt a hard shove and fell on all fours. "Dang it," he growled.

Jesse grimaced, quickly bending down to help his friend. He sent a glare at the boys who had obviously committed the act over his shoulder, but didn't say anything to them. "Ya okay, Chazz?"

"Yeah, yeah, I'm fine," Chazz scowled, not taking the offered hand. He got to his feet and looked around. "Let's just get to our last class..." He couldn't help but feel uneasy after he said "last."

It was one of those afternoons where most students feel like the last period class will go on forever. However, for Chazz and Jesse, it went too quick. "Any idea how to sneak out without them seeing us?"

Jesse thought for a long moment. "Well, there is the back door through the kitchen. I'm sure if we ask nicely, Miss Thompson will let us sneak out that way," he offered. Miss Gabriella Thompson was the snack shop worker, much like Miss Dorothy at Duel Academy Central. Chazz nodded, hoping that Jesse was better at stealth than a certain Slifer slacker. They moved out of their classroom and down to the snack shop, where Miss Thompson was waiting.

"Hey, Miss Thompson, mind if we, uh, head out the back way?" Jesse asked, waving a greeting as they walked up to the counter.

"Of course, gentlemen," the slim African-American woman grinned. Her dark hair was pulled back into a ponytail and she wore a blue dress with a white apron and a red visor. She opened up the counter and let them through.

"Thanks, Miss Thompson!" Chazz called over his shoulder.

"Yeah, we owe ya one!" Jesse added, grinning with relief.

They ran through the kitchen and out the back door and straight to the dorm without anyone getting them. "We made it," Chazz said, sagging with relief.

"Yeah, I thought for sure we'd get caught," Jesse replied, panting a bit as he plopped down onto the couch.

"Yeah... me too... You were right, you know…"

"I was, but this had to be brought to light eventually, right?"

"Yeah... Oh, crap! Nick and Jeremy!"

Jesse tensed, eyes wide. "We forgot all about 'em! Aw, man!"

If anyone from Duel Academy spied Chazz now, they might say he was acting out of character. But he knew what it was like to be victimized and not have help. He also knew that to leave Nick and Jeremy to the proverbial wolves wasn't right. "We've got to go after 'em!"

"We do, but is it smart for just us to go? Is there anyone else we can get to increase our numbers a bit?" Jesse asked as he stood, knowing there could be a full-blown mob they might have to deal with.

"I wonder... Ivan?"

"Did someone say my name?" a friendly Russian accented voice called out as the door opened again. Chazz and Jesse looked at each other, stunned.

"Ivan! We need your help," Jesse blurted out once he managed to find his voice.

"What is it, Jesse?" the big young man asked.

"We think Nick and Jeremy are in trouble. Ya know how everyone's feelin' now after that announcement was made..."

"Yes, is very tense," Ivan agreed as two other boys came in. "I will help..."

"So will I," one of the two boys agreed.

"Count me in," the third added with a nod.

Jesse grinned. "Great. Now if we could just find a few more people to help us out..."

And then there was a knock at the door. When Ivan opened it, Missi Dulan was standing there with nine other girls. "The guys are rumbling," she said quickly after greetings were exchanged.

"Shoot, I knew it. And I bet those two are really outnumbered," Jesse muttered, frowning deeply.

"Who... Oh my gosh," Missi breathed, her eyes wide with horror. The reason for Jesse's beating and the chancellor's announcement suddenly connected. "They were at A dorm!"

"That's Nick and Jeremy's dorm! Tarnation, Chazz, we better get goin' before we're too late!" Jesse said quickly. The prospect of what most of them knew could happen hastened their movement. Depending on how angry this mob could get, Nick and Jeremy's lives could be in danger. The school's security team wouldn't be mobilized in time.

The group of thirteen students raced to A Dorm, hearts pounding and sure enough... "COME ON OUT, F**S! WE KNOW YOU'RE IN THERE!" one boy yelled. Evidently, the couple had gotten into the dorm and locked the door. In after-times, no one would be able to say what led up to this situation… Perhaps it had been the boys holding hands. Perhaps it had just been their physical proximity. Or perhaps it had just been that the other students needed a convenient target. But whatever it was, a few irrational students had somehow turned half the student body into a frenzied mob. And that mob was targeting two young men.

On the other side of the door, Nick looked at Jeremy, fear in his eyes. "They're gonna kill us..."

Jeremy's arms were around Nick, a shudder passing through him after every shout. "Nick... I hate to say it, b-but I'm scared..."

"You're not the only one... Jer..." Nick pulled him into his arms, kissing him softly. Jeremy kissed back, the comfort welcoming as he held on tightly to his boyfriend. Had the mob outside seen this, it probably would have elevated their anger. But the mob would not get a chance to break down the door.

Chazz never could have told what made him do it, but all he knew was that the crowd had to be distracted. "WHAT THE HELL ARE YOU IDIOTS DOING?" he shouted. Sure enough, several burning eyes turned to him. And in that moment, Chazz incredibly feared for his life. But he swallowed that fear. "LEAVE THEM ALONE!"

Jesse stepped forward, standing beside his friend and clenching his fists. "Hasn't there been enough pain and sufferin'? Y'all should be ashamed of yourselves for terrorizin' two innocent people like this! And it's not the first time!"

"You should be ashamed, F**!" one voice in the crowd called out.

"Why? Because he took a beating and is sticking up for someone who doesn't deserve another?" called one of the girls.

"They're weird!"

"Can you join us here in the 21st century? I can't hear you from where you're standing in the 20th!" And just like that, the road in front of the dorm became one giant fist fight. It had happened so quickly, no one was certain who had thrown the first punch. But now fists were flying and insults were being shouted, some of the girls landing knockout blows.

One of the girls was Missi Dulan. One of the larger boys was beating up on a smaller boy. The girl was reminded of another girl back at Aki Kurose Middle School Academy. That girl had always gotten in fights with kids smaller than her and come off the victor. But one day, Missi had called her out. The other girl had turned around, her expertly braided and beaded hair shining in the weak winter sunlight. She was rumored to have had a very hard life and had turned into something she actually fought against on her website; a bully. "And what are you going to do about it, Oreo?" she had shouted.

Missi's eyes then had widened in fury. "What did you just call me?"

"You're an Oreo! You act so damn white, you ought to go live on Mercer Island with the other whiteys!"

"That's what I thought you said…" Missi's hand had snaked out and grabbed the other girl's wrist, disabling her and allowing the other kid to get away. Both girls had ended up in detention for violating the district's zero-tolerance violence policy, but the other girl had thankfully ended up in counseling when officials found out the extent of her issues.

Today, however, it was a larger Asian boy beating up on a smaller boy. The aggressor was Missi's friend. They'd eaten lunch together last year; they'd tag-dueled and even dated briefly. "Hiromi, let him go!" Missi shouted.

Hiromi either didn't recognize her or didn't care. The crowd bloodlust had taken over his senses and in the midst of that angry crowd… "Back off, nXXXXX!" he shouted.

That did it. Just as Hiromi was about to lay into the younger kid, he felt a hard blow to his chin and twirled around, his victim breaking free. He crashed to the ground and everything went black. Missi stood over him, her right fist still clenched. "You really disappoint me, Hiromi," she muttered. "And you're going to apologize for that later…"

The fight quickly became a full blown riot. The teacher guarding B Dorm had fortunately stepped out for a breath of fresh air and seen the fight. His jaw dropped and he raced for the phone. Campus security arrived on the scene and quickly restored order. All students were sent back to their dorms and Sarah Jones came to tend to injuries. Nick and Jeremy, huddled behind their door, couldn't believe it when they looked out. "They... had a fight," Nick murmured.

"I thought I heard someone defending us. But, there's no way they could've gotten through that without getting injured. There couldn't have been that many of them," Jeremy muttered, eyes fearful.

In Chazz's dorm, meanwhile, Sarah was cleaning off a much bruised young man with a ripped up blue jacket. "Dang it... ouch," he groaned as she put disinfectant on his various cuts.

"It's going to sting a little. You should feel lucky, young man. You and everyone else with you were outnumbered in that fight," Sarah said, smiling as she dabbed at the bruises and scrapes. Inwardly, she was proud of her female students for standing their ground.

Ivan, probably the least unscathed of the boys, smiled from where he was sitting. "Chazz yelled to stop mob, Ms. Jones. He was very brave."

"Yeah! Chazz was the first to speak up and get their attention, and he didn't back down! He's— ow!" Jesse yelped as the nurse moved on to him, some of his old injuries having reopened from the brawl.

"Yes, I know, you two. Chazz, even though you haven't been here long, I think you just reminded some of us of something."

"What's that…?" he asked and then cursed as she touched a very tender spot. Then he added with a guilty wince, "Sorry, Ms. Jones."

Sarah couldn't help but smile a little, expertly moving between the two boys and their injuries. "You reminded everyone that sometimes you have to do what's hard to change what's wrong."

Chazz groaned softly. "Yeah... ouch!"

"Excuse me," a new voice asked as a pair of boots were heard coming into the room. All ten injured boys looked up. The person at the door turned out to be Alan and from the look on his face it was obvious he was genuinely remorseful about something. He had seen the brawl and then talked to the teacher guarding the dorm after his own guard had let him out. "Jesse," he blurted out, "I'm sorry!"

Jesse looked at Alan in surprise. "Sorry about what?"

"About beating you up! Look, it isn't a big deal if you are gay, you know?"

Perhaps it was the injuries or perhaps it was being teased one too many times. He'd been teased and laughed it off, but after what had happened, Jesse snarled, "For the last dang time, I ain't gay! Will is short for Willow for cryin' out loud." Then his face went red. "Sorry about that, Alan. I guess my nerves are a little frayed."

Alan grinned sheepishly. "You never mentioned her name, and... well... how you dress and act kinda made us think... Well, you know... But I'm sorry for not helping you, and throwing punches. Missi's going to dump me."

"Oh man, Alan, I'm so sorry," Jesse added, genuinely sad for the other boy.

"And just who are you to say what I will and will not do?" Missi asked from the doorway, her dark eyebrow raised. She had been downstairs with a few of the other girls who'd gotten involved in the brawl.

"Missi, I... I didn't stop those guys!"

"Yeah, you did that. But you just apologized to him for that." Jesse and the boys only stared dumbly at Missi as she continued. "Alan, look, we've been friends since last year. We got to know each other pretty well online. We started dating a few weeks ago. My mom taught me that if a guy makes a big mistake and doesn't apologize, he's not the type of guy you date. However, if he's worth your time, he's the guy who tries to make it right. And you just tried to make things right."

"Aw, now that's just sweet," Jesse added. Alan however didn't say a word but walked over to Missi, took her into his arms and began to cry as he held her close.

When he was finished, he looked at Sarah. "I'm glad to take my punishment for this, Ms. Jones... The other guys aren't too happy..."

Sarah nodded. "I'll let Chancellor Foster know you're coming. I'm certain under the circumstances, he'll be glad to hear what happened."

Y Y Y Y Y Y Y Y Y Y Y Y Y Y Y Y Y Y Y Y Y Y Y Y Y Y

Alan, after one more embrace with his girlfriend, headed to Chancellor Foster's office. Chancellor Foster looked up from his paperwork. His head was throbbing slightly from frustration. But to see Alan Silverman here relieved the tension somewhat. "Alan, Ms. Jones tells me you have something to say?"

Alan lifted his eyes from the floor. "Yes, sir... I do. And... when the police come, I won't fight them. I don't have any defense for what I just allowed to happen. Jesse didn't deserve that..."

The boy's hands trembled. "I got caught up in what everybody else was saying. And... The other night, I just stood by. After it happened... I should've called somebody..." His stomach twisted painfully. "But I didn't... And..."

"And you did the right thing by telling me now, Alan." Foster took a deep breath. "That doesn't mean you will not face punishment from the school for this. In fact, you are faced with expulsion. But let me ask you this... Are you able to look yourself in the mirror again?"

Alan blinked and considered it. After a long moment, he nodded. Later, he didn't struggle when the police came to take him into custody. He went to his jail cell in Anchorage with a clear conscience.

In the locked-down dorm, however, when campus security, accompanied by police officers from Anchorage arrived to take custody of the other eight students, the boys loudly protested their innocence. "We didn't do anything wrong," one boy shouted, struggling in a security guard's grip. "Anderson's lying!"

"So he just tripped, right?" the guard said, sarcasm dripping from his tone.

Another boy, the one who'd actually touched Jesse, was crying, his eyes full of fear. "I don't want to go to jail! They're going to pass me around in there!" He had a relative in prison that had been brutally treated. While the boy had taken part in harming Jesse, he hadn't thought of the possible consequences. But now, with the handcuffs placed on his wrists, those consequences came crashing down on him.

When the eight boys were hauled into Chancellor Foster's office, they each demanded a phone call to their parents. The protests of innocence continued and predictably, the parents hired lawyers to try and beat the charges. "We'll get you out of this, sweetie," was a common phrase. It wasn't that these parents were negligent or horrid; they simply did what so many parents do… They followed the instinct to protect. And though the words, "I'm sorry," might later come to the lips of some of those eight defendants, it was unlikely that the words would be uttered publically until after the trials. To apologize would mean an admission of guilt, and that would mean voluntarily accepting a criminal record. And so for now, they would fight the charges tooth and nail.

Y Y Y Y Y Y Y Y Y Y Y Y Y Y Y Y Y Y Y Y Y Y Y Y

About three weeks after the arrested students left DA North, Chazz sat on his bed reading the news on his PDA. "'DA North Nine Arraigned,'" he read out loud. "Man... I'd hate to be them. 'Junior Alan Silverman pleaded guilty to misdemeanor assault charges today... The former Duel Academy North student was initially charged with being an accessory to felony assault and battery, but charges were reduced as he cooperated with investigators. "This is a victory for bullying victims everywhere," District Attorney James Cashman stated."' Yeah, typical political sound bite. He's trying to run for governor in the next election," Chazz finished after reading the entire article. "Not like he'll care when he's done campaigning."

"Cryin' shame; I'd kind of liked to duel those guys," Jesse answered. His face still bore the evidence of the attack, but true to form, the Southern boy was in his typical forgiving mood. If all nine were allowed to return to DA North, Jesse would duel them, no questions asked.

"I did duel them," Chazz reminded him curtly. "Wasn't much of a challenge." This reminded him so strongly of Jaden, it wasn't even funny. His natural acerbity had made a resurgence in recent days and Jesse was reacting much as Slacker would, the spiky-haired duelist reflected. He tried harder to be annoying. And so Chazz knew what was coming when the other boy got a certain look in his eyes.

"Come on, Chazz. Couldn't ya find it your heart to give me a duel?" Jesse asked, eager to get to the Academy dueling arena. He had gotten more duels lately, even if he heard mutterings afterward. But he still wanted to duel the top guy at the academy.

Chazz sighed. _I was right… _"Look... Jesse..." He was on the verge of refusal, but something told him it would be better to duel the other boy than not. "Okay, okay, I'll duel you if it'll get you off my back..."

"Yee-haw!" Jesse yelped before he scurried off. And so the boys headed off to the arena, Chazz reflecting that his former schoolmates wouldn't experience the joy of a simple duel for a long time. He wondered if they'd ever be sorry. But for now, he would enjoy the moment… even if it was with Twin Slacker.

**THE END**

_And this concludes this tale. Thank you very much for reading and reviewing. _


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